The Friendship Files: Catching Heat
by LanieSullivan
Summary: An extended tag to "Promises to Keep" to explore how Francine would have approached things if she'd caught on right away the the break-up story was a lie.


Disclaimer: "Scarecrow and Mrs. King" is copyrighted to Warner Brothers and Shoot the Moon Productions. The plot is mine, but not the characters. This story is meant for enjoyment purposes only. No infringement is intended.

Author's note: This is another filler for "Promises to Keep" to take a different tack on the break-up story Amanda told Francine than I did in the prior entry for this episode. Also, meets the following challenge: Write a story, 2500 words or less with two characters having a conversation and one saying to the other, "Wow, you're really in love."

As Francine walked away from Amanda with a smile on her face, she couldn't help thinking that the brunette had had more sense that she had when she, herself had been dating Lee. _Wait a minute,_ she thought, her own musings stopping her dead in her tracks. Something didn't seem right with that. The mother of two was the one who always gave people the benefit of the doubt, no matter what. Amanda would never have broken up with Lee just on her say-so, especially given the fact that she hadn't been the most welcoming to her in her three years at the Agency.

Francine marched resolutely back to where she'd left Amanda just in time to see her smiling brightly. Her gaze followed Amanda's and there it was; the source of that smile...Lee Stetson. She glanced from one to the other, taking note of the smoldering looks passing between the pair. She sighed and changed course, veering through the maze of desks in the bullpen to her target. She caught up with him just as he was about to enter the conference room. "Hold it right there," she ordered as she linked her arm with his and steered him toward her desk. She glanced backwards at Amanda before scowling at him sternly.

Lee rolled his eyes as he yanked his arm from her grasp. "Not this again," he groaned.

"Yes, this again. What are you doing?"

"What do you mean, what am I doing?" He folded his arms petulantly across his chest.

"Come on, Lee, you know what I'm talking about. You...Amanda...that ridiculous dumping story she just tried to feed me. Was that your idea or hers?"

Lee laughed. "Hers. She had you believing it for a second too, didn't she?"

"What? No...I'm not that stupid," Francine argued. When Lee raised a questioning eyebrow, she conceded, "Okay, maybe for a second...but _just_ one. That is until I saw the two of you making with the goo-goo eyes at each other from across the room."

"Goo-goo eyes? You sound like one of Amanda's boys," he teased. "Are we in sixth grade?"

She stared at him blankly. "How would you know what Amanda's boys sound like? It's not like you've spent any time with the-" When his knowing look told her just how wrong she was about that, she broke off abruptly and questioned, "You have?"

"Many times, Francine. In fact, I spent Christmas with the family." _MY family,_ he mentally added. "They're amazing kids. I never thought I'd say that about any kid, but they really are. Amanda's done a wonderful job with them."

"Wow, you're really in love." Francine looked awe-struck. "Not just with her, but with the kids too." When he only nodded bashfully while a slight flush crept into his cheeks, she cocked her head to one side, looking at him curiously. "Well, why didn't you just say that when I asked you about Amanda?"

"Would you have believed me?" He watched in amusement as she opened her mouth to speak and then closed it again as if lost for words. "Besides, you didn't _ask_ me about Amanda. You accosted me in the hallway and demanded that I stop whatever I had going on with her. That didn't exactly put me in the mood to share."

"Okay, okay, I admit it. I was just so thrown by the idea of you and Amanda together that I reacted badly. When she told me she broke up with you, I was just a bit too happy about it. I mean, even you have to admit that the idea of you in a committed relationship...well, it's a huge break from tradition."

"Which is just what I need," he interrupted.

"But she's so different from any woman that you've ever been involved with and as much as I like her-"

"You like her? When did that happen?" His eyes were dancing in amusement at Francine's unintentional confession.

She rolled her eyes. "Well...I..." She shrugged and let out a sigh. "She kinda grows on you after a while."

"Yes, she does," Lee beamed.

"But that's beside the point," she retorted huffily. "What I was going to say is that while I do like her and she's a nice person and all, that's where the problem lies too. She's sometimes TOO nice and that means too trusting and even a bit naive."

Lee shook his head. "I thought that too at first," he admitted. "But I was wrong. She's not as naive as she appears to be at first glance. Yes, she trusts people more than she should at times, but that's because she always tries to see the good in everyone. Here's the thing though, I've never seen anyone who's more observant than she is. She notices everything and she'll be the first to point out when someone's not on the level."

She thought back to the Spiderweb debacle and how sure Amanda had been that Margaret was the traitor when everyone else had thought it was ridiculous and nodded. "You're right."

"Why do you think it took me three years to make a move with her? With my past...my reputation...I...uh...I didn't think she'd take me seriously. I needed to figure out a way to let her know that she was different, just like you said she is. I couldn't have her thinking that I was only interested in adding another name to my black books."

"Which brings me back to my original concerns," Francine replied. "What happens if this relationship goes sour like all your relationships do? Will she be just another name in your black books then?"

"No," Lee stated adamantly. "I don't plan on letting that happen. I'm willing to do whatever it takes to make this work with Amanda."

She couldn't help smiling at his drastic shift in attitude from the shallow playboy that he'd once been. "You're really, _really_ in love, aren't you?" she reiterated her thought from earlier, but this time in a light, teasing tone.

"I really am," he concurred, though not taking the bait. With all the secrets he and Amanda were keeping, it was nice to be able to share at least this one part with his friend. "Though what she sees in me, I'll never know."

"Don't sell yourself short," Francine chided him. "Down deep, you've got a lot of good qualities." She grinned and added, "WAY down deep."

"Hey!" he protested.

"Seriously, you're a good guy who deserves some happiness. If you found that with Amanda, then I'm happy for you." She started to move behind her desk to get back to work, but then turned back, grinned at him again and added, "But if you blow this with her or break her heart, I'll..."

"You'll what?" he challenged her as he leaned across the desk and glowered at her.

Meeting his gaze, she responded, "Well, let's just say, being Billy's assistant has some perks. I'm the one with the paperwork to assign rounds with Dr. Pain."

They were interrupted by Billy's booming voice. "Scarecrow! We're waiting!"

Lee shook his head at the missed opportunity to reply to Francine's challenge as he slunk off to the conference room for the morning briefing that their boss wanted him included in. As he did so, he couldn't help thinking that he now had just one more reason to make sure that he didn't blow it with Amanda. Francine never made idle threats. That thought made him shudder a bit as he sank into his seat, wondering just how far she'd go to make sure that he kept Amanda happy.


End file.
